Hal's eyes had already drifted over the menu, mostly for the sake of nostalgia. Holoscreens and re-flashable flimsiplast were the order of the day, most places, but those were more expensive than the old-school basics, and there was just something nice about the feel of the semi-flexible clear plastic under his fingers. Behind it, the paper's weave distorted the edges of some of the print in a way which was charming. Beyond the paper, though, he observed Jeryd, a true fish out of water in such an environment. Then Hal's left eyebrow went up at his question.

"You've never had meatloaf?" the Nehantite asked, tilting his menu down to view Jeryd clearly over it. "Seriously?"

Reaching up to run his fingers through his headfur, Hal slumped back into his seat with a sigh. "Garfife, I've got so much to teach you. So, a meatloaf is just what it sounds like. You take ground meat, usually red meat, and you season it, add in some small veggies, maybe, some egg, maybe some oats to help bind it, whatever flavoring agents you want, and you put it in a baking dish. Cover the top with ketchup, and you bake it in the oven until it's cooked through. When done, slice it and serve. If it's done right, it's the best thing you'll ever eat. They overcook it here, though, and it's dry, not to mention under-seasoned. I'll have to see if I can get some time in the kitchen back home after this and make a good meatloaf for you to try. It'll change your life. Perfect with mashed potatoes and gravy, or peas and carrots, or even baked parmesan cabbage."

I can so go for some meatloaf right now. His base natures mused.

Yeah, but we already know that the meatloaf here sucks, his higher reasoning countered.

I know, but we could still go back to the Citadel make some kick-ass meatloaf, and then try this mission tomorrow.

No. No, we can't do that.

Yeah we can. We're capable of being back here tomorrow if we really try.

Not what I meant, and you know it.

Says the guy who keeps telling me I don't know anything.

Ugh, you are totally not helping right now. Just pick something other than the meatloaf, already.

Fiiiiine. Sheesh.

Scanning down the menu again, Hal settled on something difficult to screw up. Fried nuna and waffles, with a side of greens, and some dirty rice. He'd opt for the spicy fried nuna, of course, and naturally some buiberries in his waffles, and as much as he'd love to have a beer with his meal, sobriety was important when doing recon, so a glass of unsweetened iced tea would have to suffice. With lemon, though. Maybe extra lemon.

"What sides are you getting with your nerfburger?" Hal asked, tucking his menu away in its stand. So far he'd seen nothing to arouse suspicion in the diner, but on a slow night due to heavy rain, there would be plenty of time and ability to observe the staff, and see which clients stuck around longer than others. If this truly was where people found passage off-world, it would make sense that staff would be involved - though a regular customer could also use the place to do business out of. Racking his brain to recall which customers were there last time, Hal played each face against those he could currently observe, in a low-scoring game of Guess Who.